I'll Tell Them I'm Back

Above the abyss, Isaiah and Einhejar gaze at each other.

Within minutes, Einhejar had wiped out Isaiah's servants.

Those Abyss Beast, considered natural disasters in ancient times, were like lambs before a true Demigod, utterly powerless. Despite their best efforts, they could only slightly "dirty" Einhejar's divine body with their own flesh and blood.

"Truly despair-inducing power," Isaiah murmured. "No wonder he's called the Planet Eater."

Einhejar was undoubtedly the most powerful enemy Isaiah had ever faced in his life.

Not only because He was Demigod, but also because, like Isaiah, He came from the stars.

Isaiah was Star Relic Warlock, the foremost being under God in his time.

Einhejar is the most powerful servant of the Star Relic God, a true Demigod.

This means that Einhejar possesses all of Isaiah's lifelong learning, including the star magic that instilled fear in countless people, and may even be more powerful than Isaiah.

For example, the spell called "Black Hole" that Einhejar just used, Isaiah also knows, but it's impossible for Isaiah to eliminate all the Abyss Beast with just one spell.

Even setting aside his powerful Demigod body, the scale of his magic alone would be beyond Isaiah's reach.

Therefore, Einhejar can be seen as a more powerful Isaiah. In fact, it can be said that Isaiah will never be able to surpass Einhejar in the path of star magic.

Should Isaiah then withdraw?

He knew that Einhejar's refusal to attack him so far was a final warning, and that he still had a chance to retreat.

Of course, this was not out of Einhejar's mercy; He simply did not want to leave that door.

As for the destruction of the Abyss Prison, and the sins committed by Isaiah, He cared nothing.

In other words, there is still a chance to salvage the situation.

But...

Isaiah raised his hand and slowly pulled his scepter from the night sky once more.

The star atop the scepter and Einhejar's single eye shone brightly, like two suns vying for brilliance in the vast universe.

"If my goal is beyond the stars..." Isaiah said softly, "Then there is no better opponent than you, Einhejar."

Einhejar narrowed his one eye, and with His intelligence, He could naturally understand Isaiah's meaning.

So He slowly raised His body, and thousands of scales slid again, washing away the filth and flesh, and became shining brightly again, like the stars in the night sky, clustered around the single eye that resembled the sun.

He also sensed Isaiah's power and determination.

Therefore, He decided to accept the challenge.

He Wei Ni Ya carefully walked through the cracks, supporting herself against the broken wall.

The scene of Einhejar slaying the Abyss Beast was still echoing in her mind. If she hadn't followed Ai De Wen down another path, she probably would have been caught in the crossfire, which would have been troublesome.

However, right now she should be thinking about Ai De Wen, not Einhejar and Isaiah.

She had clearly seen Ai De Wen earlier; the man was hunched over and looked so old that he was unrecognizable, but He Wei Ni Ya was still certain that it was Ai De Wen.

But why is he still alive?

He Wei Ni Ya had witnessed him fall into the abyss and be afflicted with the curse of aging.

With Ai De Wen's abilities, both of these things would have been enough to kill him countless times, but he is still alive and well, and unlike before, he has not lost his ability to think. Instead, he has found and entered this path with a clear purpose.

Was this guy hiding his true abilities? Did he deliberately play dead to shake me off earlier?

He Wei Ni Ya had no choice but to think that way, so she immediately followed.

But Ai De Wen was walking very fast, and the seriously injured He Wei Ni Ya couldn't keep up with him. At least now, He Wei Ni Ya could no longer see his back. If it weren't for the fact that there were no forks in the road, He Wei Ni Ya would have really worried that she had lost him.

After walking for a while, a light suddenly appeared at the end of the passage.

We've reached the exit!

He Wei Ni Ya immediately quickened her pace, and soon the situation became clear.

Then her pupils narrowed slightly, clearly shocked by the scene before her.

This is a relatively spacious area, but more importantly, it is full of flowers and plants, and the air is filled with fragrance. It is a completely different scene from the abyss that was like a purgatory before.

But she soon realized something was wrong.

The flowers here were unlike anything He Wei Ni Ya had ever seen before. They had an eerie, ghostly blue color, and their fragrance was pleasant at first, but after a while it became cloyingly sweet, and eventually, her body began to feel weak.

Could it be...?

He Wei Ni Ya thought of something and then tried to mobilize her Magic Power.

The Magic Power that was summoned had not yet been fully gathered when it suddenly dissipated, as if it had been sucked away by something.

Sure enough, these flowers are not simple either.

He Wei Ni Ya became even more vigilant, and then she looked into the distance and saw a well at the end of the sea of flowers.

A hunched man was sitting beside the well, as if he were about to pray.

Damn it! This Ai De Wen wants to use the Fountain of Redemption!

He Wei Ni Ya immediately tried to attack Ai De Wen, but the Magic Power she had just gathered was instantly annihilated.

... There was no other way but to use the power of the bones to forcibly generate more Magic Power.

He Wei Ni Ya gritted her teeth, ready to fight to the death, when she heard Ai De Wen say with a faint smile.

"Behave yourself. Even if you want to return the bones to me, you don't need to do it this way."

He Wei Ni Ya was stunned.

She saw Ai De Wen slowly turn around, and a smile that was all too familiar to He Wei Ni Ya appeared on his face, which was so old it was almost unrecognizable.

"Long time no see, Ni Ya," Bai Wei said with a smile.

He Wei Ni Ya opened her mouth, about to say something, when she was interrupted by a huge roar.

The ground was shaking, and the temperature was rising. The rapidly increasing heat turned the surrounding flowers red, as if they might burst into flames at any moment.

He Wei Ni Ya realized that Isaiah had made his move.

Einhejar saw a burning meteorite fall from the abyss.

He shook his serpent tail and created a star of the same size, which flew upwards toward the meteorite falling from above.

Boom!

The two celestial bodies collided with a tremendous roar, illuminating the entire abyss in flames. The shattered celestial bodies transformed into countless burning meteors, raining down upon Einhejar like a storm.

Einhejar did not retaliate immediately, but instead used his one eye to search and found Isaiah's location.

He was floating in the center of these meteors, and it was he who had previously turned his physical body into a meteorite.

Having confirmed its location, Einhejar swung its serpent tail again, and the meteors that were about to strike His body seemed to instantly lose their gravity and inertia, all freezing in mid-air. A few seconds later, they followed their previous trajectory, as if rewinding, and crashed towards the core, which was Isaiah.

Boom boom boom!

The two shattered stars merged into one, like a giant hand that slowly grasped Isaiah before exerting its force in an instant.

"Pfft."

Blood gushed from the cracks in the rocks, splattering onto Einhejar's body.

The next second, the blood made a "splattering" sound.

Einhejar lowered his head and discovered that the blood had transformed into grotesque maggots, which were frantically gnawing at Einhejar's scales.

So He opened the star and found that at its center was not Isaiah, who had turned to blood and foam, but a small Abyss Beast.

Although the Abyss Beast's physical body was also destroyed by the celestial body, it was clear that it did not rely on its flesh for food. The blurred flesh and blood transformed into countless maggots, which jumped onto Einhgar's body after Einhejar dispelled the celestial body, and along with the previous maggots, gnawed at Einhejar's scales.

Einhejar opened his gaping maw, spewing flames that scorched the areas covered in maggots. But even as they were engulfed in such intense heat, the maggots did not die or turn to ashes on the spot; instead, they convulsed and continued to tear at the maggots.

Such bizarre and immortal characteristics could only belong to the dead Gods.

Einhejar realized that during the previous attack on Him by the Abyss Beast, Isaiah had not taken everything, but had hidden a portion that could be effective against Him.

In other words, Isaiah had foreseen from the beginning that the Abyss Beast would be wiped out by Einhejar and had made contingency plans.

"It seems that even the body of a god is not omnipotent," Isaiah's voice slowly rang out.

Einhejar turned his head and saw standing behind Him, the scepter in His hand surging with powerful Magic Power.

"At least your eyes can't see through my actions." Isaiah's right eye, which was imprinted with the starry sky, reflected Einhejar, as if even this legendary Demigod could not escape his sight. "But I see your actions very clearly."

The moment Isaiah finished speaking, an even brighter light burst forth from the top of the scepter, quickly filling the entire field of vision and turning the entire underground abyss into an unbearably bright day.

Even Einhejar was unable to lock onto Isaiah through this daylight.

As Isaiah said, the divine body is not omnipotent.

At least in terms of eyes alone, Einhejar's one eye is not as good as Isaiah's right eye, which is why Isaiah was able to replace himself with the Abyss Beast right under his nose, without Einhejar noticing.

But He doesn't need to perceive it, just as He doesn't need to see through the daylight with His eyes now.

He propped himself up once more, looked up at the sky, and opened his enormous mouth.

Then a huge vortex emerged from His mouth, generating a powerful suction force. This vortex sucked away the remains of the Abyss Beast, the maggots clinging to His scales, and even the intense light released by Isaiah became distorted and blurred under this suction force.

Yes, He devoured the light.

In the blink of an eye, the abyss returned to darkness, just as it had been at the beginning of the universe.

Moreover, what Einhejar did was not just make the light disappear; he also devoured something else—the air.

He drained all the air from the earth, so the flames that needed air to burn were extinguished.

Then humans, who also need air to survive, should also die.

So Isaiah died?

In the endless darkness, Einhejar saw the only light, the celestial realm opened up by Isaiah.

In his celestial realm, there is light, air, and fire, like the only planet with life in the vast and desolate universe.

Einhejar was like a cosmic lord who favored desolation, coldly watching the rebellious seed of life under his rule.

So He invoked His power once more.

With a "snap".

That last glimmer of light then went out, and desolation swallowed everything.

The universe has returned to darkness.

"Your plan is for Isaiah to kill the serpent and then enter the Final Gate?" Beside the Fountain of Redemption, He Wei Ni Ya stood beside Bai Wei, who was controlling Ai De Wen's body. "And what's wrong with you now? Is Ai De Wen dead?"

"You ask too many questions," Bai Wei said with a smile. "I thought living in Lyra for two months would calm you down. Do you really have to live this kind of life where you risk your life?"

"Hiding your head in your waist? What a strange description, yet strangely apt," He Wei Ni Ya thought.

"I just don't want to owe you anything," He Wei Ni Ya said.

"You don't owe me anything." Bai Wei pointed to his ear. "I've already gotten what I wanted, but it's not wrong for you to think that way. Why not take advantage of a free favor?"

Seeing that Bai Wei was still the same as before, He Wei Ni Ya's tense mood immediately relaxed a lot.

"Did you lure Ai De Wen here?" He Wei Ni Ya asked again.

"How can you call it seduction?" Bai Wei said. "You make me sound like an evil god. It should be called guidance. Well, although there were quite a few unexpected events along the way, I still achieved my goal overall."

"Is this your purpose?"

He Wei Ni Ya looked at the deep well in front of her, and from her perspective, she could see the water in the well, which was the Fountain of Redemption that Diana had mentioned.

At first glance, the spring water seems perfectly normal, as clear and transparent as any other spring water.

However, the biggest problem in this place is that there are no problems at all.

After thinking for a moment, He Wei Ni Ya asked, "Are you here to knock down this well?"

Why do you ask that?

"Because this well can summon the Gods." He Wei Ni Ya wasn't sure if Bai Wei knew the well's function, but she told him.

"Did Diana tell you this?"

"Yes."

"She's lying to you."

He Wei Ni Ya's pupils narrowed slightly. "You're lying to me?"

"Yes, praying to this well has no effect," Bai Wei said with a smile. "On the contrary, when you try to destroy it, it will summon the Gods."

He Wei Ni Ya opened her mouth, then quickly realized that this was a little trick played by Diana.

Indeed, God does not bring salvation, but only punishment.

"Those who are willing to turn back wouldn't wait until they've come this far to start praying," Bai Wei said with a smile. "Only those who want everything and want to cover everything up would tear it down. How should I put it, a guilty conscience?"

"You mean you?"

"Of course I don't count," Bai Wei waved his hand. "How can I be considered a thief for retrieving my own corpse?"

"Then what are you doing here?" He Wei Ni Ya asked. "To make sure I don't knock over this well?"

"No, I'm here to knock down this well."

He Wei Ni Ya didn't react at first, thinking that Bai Wei was talking about stopping her from knocking down the well. It wasn't until she saw Bai Wei's smiling expression that she belatedly realized what he was talking about and exclaimed in astonishment, "You want to attract the Gods?"

"Yes," Bai Wei said with a smile, "I should also tell them that I'm back."